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Gospel-Driven Encouragement for Homemakers

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EP 29: Where to Begin When You’re Overwhelmed in Caring for Your Home

by Marci Ferrell
Cleaning Encouragement Homemaking Homemaking 101 Series Mentoring Organization Podcast Time Management Titus 2

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I know there are many listeners out there drowning in clutter and chaos and you don't know where to begin. My hope is to give you some encouragement and practical steps to begin to get some order in your home. #overwhelmedmessyhome #overwhelmedhousekeeping #clutter @mferrell

 

I know there are many listeners out there drowning in clutter and chaos and you don't know where to begin. My hope is to give you some encouragement and practical steps to begin to get some order in your home. @mferrell

I’m sharing today from a post I wrote quite awhile back called Where to Begin When You’re Overwhelmed, and it was dealing with our home keeping. It’s been a very controversial post and people either have a love or hate relationship with it. I’m hoping you all are in the love camp today because I’m not a fan of being in the hate camp. 

Before we begin, I want to lay out a statement here that I want you to remember as we walk through this. What I’m sharing is going to look different in every home. I don’t know all the battles or circumstances in your home from health and illness difficulties or various trials you’re dealing with. This may not be the season of your life for you to listen to a podcast on this topic right now.

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I’m never talking about perfection or Stepford wives or making an idol out of your homekeeping or whatever your thinking because as soon as you write a post or share a podcast about this topic of homekeeping that’s where the conversation tends to go. 

This isn’t about having a Martha Stewart lifestyle in your homemaking. It is about the heart of a homemaker who loves the Lord and desires to love and care for her family well because of the God she serves. It is out of a heart of love and thankfulness because she has been redeemed. Thank you, Jesus!

This also does not mean you don’t do anything outside your home or saying you can’t work outside the home or have any employment. I work for my husband’s business and have ever since my kiddos were young.  In my past – I’ve worked outside the home and inside the home and still work inside the home as a homemaker and for my husband’s business. This is not a SAHM vs. working mom podcast. This is for all Christian women in whatever season of life you’re in.

God gives us enough time each day to take care of the tasks that He desires us to accomplish. Click to Tweet

I want to chat with you today as if I’m talking with my daughter – (Hello My Amber if you’re listening) and encouraging her in the role the Lord has called her to as laid out in Titus 2:3-5

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Getting some foundational understanding of why we are called keepers of our homes will be an encouragement in itself not to be overwhelmed in your homekeeping, so my hope is to set your mind on things of the Lord and His ways today.

Show Notes:

“One expression in Titus 2 deserves special notice. It is the word homemakers. The Greek word is oikourgous, which literally means “workers at home.” Oikos is the Greek word for “home,” and ergon means “work, employment.” It suggests that a married woman’s first duty is to her own family, in her own household. Managing her own home should be her primary employment, her first task, her most important job, and her true career.”

~ John MacArthur

Can you find a mentor?  Prayerfully seek out an older woman who loves the Lord, her husband, and children and manages her home well to help you one-to-one.  It may be your mom or someone from your church. Pray and ask the Lord to help you to find this relationship and reach out to someone – don’t be afraid to ask for help. 

Let me walk you through my 5-minute daily bathroom tidy:

-Squirt toilet cleaner in the toilet bowl squish with a toilet brush and let sit while you’re showering

-After showering squeegee the walls down and tidy the shower supplies.

-Make sure all towels are hung in their proper place.

-Give the toilet a final swish and grab some toilet paper, squirt with window cleaner and wipe the seat and sides down – flush the paper.  You can use a paper towel if you prefer but a few sheets of toilet paper does the trick.

-Wipe the mirror down with window cleaner and paper towels.  Give the counters a squirt and wipe. (My Norwex window rags are a favorite for this chore, I keep them on hooks inside of the cupboard and wash them with my towels.)

-Put items you use away and your clothes in the hamper or put away.

-After you’ve given it a quick clean, put out some fresh towels or at least a fresh hand towel.

-Doing this quick daily tidy makes deep cleaning a breeze! I promise!

 

Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

    his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

 

Regarding the care of our homes Gretchen from Well Watered Women shared this on her Instagram awhile back:

But I’ve learned that I can either spend my time complaining or spend it praising the Lord. In Colossians 3:23 Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀

“Whatever” includes everything. It includes doing the dishes (all day every day), and it includes picking up toys for the thousandth time. It includes folding countless loads of laundry every week, and it includes vacuuming, grocery shopping, and doing any mundane task. That word “whatever” is what makes everyday tasks worship. Worship isn’t just designated to Sunday morning church or your daily quiet time. Worship is adoring Jesus every moment of the day, including the moments we are doing tasks we don’t necessarily love to do. ⠀

No task is exempt from the holy call of doing “whatever” for the glory of God. Jesus makes your “whatever” worthwhile. The unfiltered, blurry moments of life are often the most beautiful ones. His fingerprints are all over life. We just need eyes to see Him at work within us and all around us.

“The way to do a great deal is to keep on doing a little. The way to do nothing at all is to be continually resolving that you will do everything.”

~ Charles Spurgeon

Scripture & Resources:

Titus 2:3-5

Colossians 3:23

Lamentations 3:22-23

The Christian Homemaker’s Handbook by Dorothy Kelley Patterson

Where to Begin When You’re Overwhelmed

Podcast Ep. 26: When the Days are Difficult and Exhausting

Practical Steps to Overcome Self-Pity

Do the Next Thing

Bringing Order to Our Homes

Podcast Ep. 16: Simplify Your Housekeeping with a Cleaning Schedule

Podcast Ep. 14: Simple Tips for a Clutter-Free Home

10 Simple Habits to Having an {almost} Always Clean Home

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Related posts:

  1. Where to Begin When You’re Overwhelmed
  2. EP 7: Getting Ready for Company Fast – Your Home and Heart
  3. EP 16: Simplify Your Housekeeping with a Cleaning Schedule
  4. EP 19: Benefits of Habits in Our Homemaking


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Comments

  1. Angela says

    at

    I am sitting in a messy office and bedroom that should already be cleaned and found you on the internet. I love this post! I work 4-10 hour days and have a mental block about coming home and cooking, cleaning, etc. Your comment about the fact that we have a job given to us by the Lord regardless of whether we are working inside the home or outside, pricked my heart but also created a little spark inside! So, as I was listening, I started pulling things off of my desk and have been putting them in little piles. I saved your site to my Pinterest page (Angie’s Corner), and KNOW others will be blessed by it as much as I am! I’m excited to listen to your other podcasts also. Thank you so much for following God’s plans for you; you are truly a blessing to this woman’s lost love of a clean home. Blessings to you!!!

    • Marci Ferrell says

      at

      Angela, I love this – thank you for sharing with me. Going to check out your Pinterest page.

    • Marci Ferrell says

      at

      Angela – I can’t find your page and I’d love to so send me a link when you get a moment.

Trackbacks

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thankfulhomemaker

Marci Ferrell
Whether you're running errands, doing household ch Whether you're running errands, doing household chores, or sipping your coffee, you can do it in style, reminding yourself and others you are a Thankful Homemaker 🥰⁣
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Shop TH Gear at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
What do you think of when you hear the word discer What do you think of when you hear the word discernment? The dictionary defines it as making a distinction between good and evil and truth and falsehood. As believers, we all desire to be discerning and wise in our choices. As we mature and grow in our knowledge of the scriptures, the hope is we will use that information to make choices in line with God's will.⁣
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We become discerning people by not just knowing what to think but how to think. Being spiritually discerning is an ability to see the world the way God does. This comes about as we grow and mature spiritually into the likeness of Christ. It is about seeing “All That's Good.”⁣
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Read Seeking Whatever is Good at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
“Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench i “Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench into our coping mechanisms. It brings us to the end of what we can control and forces us to cry out to God. God doesn’t waste our waiting. He uses it to conform us to the image of his Son.”⁣
~ Betsy Childs Howard⁣
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Listen in to EP 23: Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding mysel As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding myself in a waiting room on the Lord, and it’s been a long one, and I don’t see an end near.  It has reminded me that when I gave myself to Him, I gave up my “right” to be in charge. The reality is we never were in charge anyway; we just came to that understanding when the Lord opened our eyes to His sovereign control over our lives.⁣
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Even though it is a truth I know or we know, how many times do we want to think that somehow we can effect change in our life situations?⁣
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Waiting is hard because there is no guarantee that my waiting will end in this lifetime. One thing I have learned – my waiting has deepened my trust in the Lord and has helped me to develop patience, perseverance, and endurance.⁣
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It’s also given me different eyes to see with compassion others who are in a season of waiting.⁣
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Listen in to EP 23 Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Six questions I have written in my Bible that have Six questions I have written in my Bible that have been a help to me over the years may be a help to you, too, to be prayerful and slow to speak. These are helpful questions not just in our friendships but in our marriages and with our children, and truly any of our relationships:⁣
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1. Is this the time to say this?⁣
2. Am I the person to say this?⁣
3. Is it necessary?⁣
4. Is it true?⁣
5. Is it kind?⁣
6. Do I need to say this?⁣
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Listen in to EP 140: Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
We all know that fostering true biblical friendshi We all know that fostering true biblical friendship isn’t easy – it takes work. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we’re going to have trouble in this world, and trouble does touch all our lives in various areas, but this includes our friendships too.⁣
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We’ll be hurt; we’ll be the ones hurting others; selfishness is a battle; jealousy and envy raise their ugly heads; we have our fears and insecurities, failed expectations, the damage our tongues do to one another, not appropriating the gospel and these all come from hearts that are still battling sin. ⁣
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So when these threats to our friendship with one another in Christ come up, it shouldn’t surprise us that we have these issues, but what we need to keep at the forefront of our minds is how we respond and deal with them when they do come up. ⁣
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I want to walk us through some of these threats, and this list I’m working with isn’t exhaustive – there are many more threats than what I am addressing today – but these are areas that stood out to me that have been a battle within some of my friendships over the years. Sadly, it is often the sin I’m battling in my heart, and I need to get my thinking, attitudes, and actions lined up with God’s Word.⁣
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Listen to EP 140 Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
May we be women who are willing to return to the a May we be women who are willing to return to the authority of God’s Word, embrace God’s priorities for our lives and homes, and live out the beauty and wonder of womanhood as God created it to be.⁣
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Read more at The History of Modern Feminism at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction by trying to be "like" men and shedding their uniqueness as a female.  They will only find satisfaction in Christ.⁣
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Come read The History of Modern Feminism at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
“Complaining will seem increasingly ugly when yo “Complaining will seem increasingly ugly when you let the beauty of God’s Word transform your words.” ⁣
~ Ronnie Martin⁣
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Listen in to EP 24: Dealing with Our Grumbling & Complaining at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
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